2000
#77,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Brodine
A surname likely derived from a French place name or locality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 264 Americans carry the last name Brodine. That puts it at #87,019 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,298,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brodine surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
264
1 in 1,298,312
Census rank
#87,019
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
230
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 230 bearers of the surname Brodine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87019th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodine, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brodine
The surname Brodine has its origins in France and is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "brodeur," which means "embroiderer" or "embroidery worker." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in the craft of embroidery or textile work.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Brodine can be found in the Livre des métiers, a medieval French document from the 13th century that listed various guilds and trades in Paris. In this document, the name "Brodine" is mentioned as a surname associated with the embroiderers' guild.
The name Brodine can also be traced back to the region of Normandy in northern France, where it was particularly prevalent during the Middle Ages. Records from this area show variations of the spelling, such as "Brodyne," "Brodine," and "Brodyn."
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Jean Brodine was a prominent embroiderer and textile merchant in the city of Rouen, Normandy. His work was highly regarded, and he supplied embroidered goods to noble families and the church.
Another historical figure with the surname Brodine was Marie Brodine, born in 1587 in the town of Caen, Normandy. She was a skilled embroiderer and owned a successful workshop that produced intricate needlework for aristocratic clients.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Brodine began to spread beyond France as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. For example, in the early 1600s, a family with the surname Brodine settled in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York), where they established a successful embroidery business.
One notable bearer of the name Brodine in the United States was William Brodine, born in 1832 in Pennsylvania. He was a prominent businessman and industrialist who founded the Brodine Company, which manufactured textile machinery and equipment.
Another individual of note was Edith Brodine, born in 1891 in California. She was a renowned artist and embroiderer known for her intricate and vibrant needlework designs, which were exhibited in galleries across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brodine
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodine, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brodine bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Brodine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 10
- Two or more races2.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brodine
Brodine appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#83,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 226
-4 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 5,754 places
2020
#87,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
+4 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,472 | 230 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #83,226 | 226 | 0.08 | -4 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 5,754 places |
| 2020 | #87,019 | 230 | 0.08 | +4 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 3,793 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Brodine surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #83,226 | #87,019 | -4.6% |
| Count | 226 | 230 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brodine bearers went from 226 to 230 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 3,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #83,226 to #87,019.
FAQ
Brodine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brodine?
Name Census estimates that about 264 living Americans carry the surname Brodine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,298,312 residents.
How common is Brodine?
Brodine ranks #87,019 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 230 people with the surname Brodine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brodine.
Has Brodine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brodine went from 226 recorded bearers to 230. That is an increase of 4 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #83,226 to #87,019.
What does the Census say about the background of Brodine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodine, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brodine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brodine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Brodine (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Brodine mean?
A surname likely derived from a French place name or locality. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Brodine (0.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Brodine?
See how many people are called Brodine on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.